The Jack Rose

What's in a name? There are numerous stories for where this cocktail got its. Could be from the Applejack brandy and the rose color. Maybe it's for the infamous gambler Bald Jack Rose. Or after the Jacquemont variation of the rose. Or named for Joseph P. Rose - famous mixologist in New York City. Regardless, the Jack Rose is a classic drink, popular in the 1920s and 1930s in the United States.

Ernest Hemingway writes about the Jack Rose in "The Sun Also Rises". And Rachel Maddow mixed the drink a few months ago for The New Yorker. And in 2003 the Washington Post published "Searching for Jack; Two Guys, One Drink, 60 Bars" and the author's quest to find a Jack Rose in Washington, D.C.

I can tell you now that David didn't care for this drink, but I found it to be smooth and understated. I was SURE I wouldn't be able to find Applejack locally. Laird & Company are the only producers of this brandy. It was first made in colonial times by freeze distilling hard cider. It was George Washington's favorite drink and he helped the Laird family start their distillery in Scobeyville, New York in 1780.

David's Swizzle Stick Rating:
2 Swizzle Sticks

The Jack Rose - 3 oz. Applejack, 1 oz. lemon or lime juice, 2 dashes Grenadine. Chill a Martini cocktail glass. In a shaker, add crushed ice and the ingredients above. Shake well and strain into the Martini glass. Garnish with lemon or lime.

I prepared one with lemon and one with lime. David preferred the lime but didn't care for the drink in any event (it's still in the refrigerator after 2 sips). I think I see a trend though. All of his 2 Swizzle Sticks Ratings are pink or fruity!
Bellini, Cosmopolitan, and the Jack Rose.

This one was for you, Mrs. J-B!